Breaking Bad

The TV show Breaking Bad may be over now but it was so good I could watch it all over again! These are my Breaking Bad themed nails with the green marble effect and the lettering inspired by the title sequence from the show. And of course the thumb is painted on a white background for my drawing of Heisenberg's face as he is called Mr White after all! This was my first attempt at doing marble effect nails, I would recommend watching some videos online that show you how to do it as it can be quite tricky at first.

How to get this look: 

Apply a base coat on all nails and then 2 coats of your green and white polish on your other nails but leaving the two marble effect nails blank. 

The method I used for the marble effect was using water - put a few drops of a dark green polish into a small dish of water and then add a few drops of a lighter green polish in the centre of the dark polish. Using a cocktail stick swirl the two colours around on the surface of the water to create a marbled effect and then dip your nail into the water and under the polish so the polish covers your finger. This will look very messy at first but you can use cotton wool and nail polish remover to go back and remove the excess polish from the sides of your finger so the polish remains only on the nail. 

For the lettering and the Heisenberg design I used nail art pens to create the drawings. 

When you are done apply a top coat to protect your nails from chipping.

Union Jack Nails

This is one of my favourite designs to have on my nails. It's fairly simple but very eye catching and when I have my nails painted like this I get a lot of comments from people, even strangers, who love the design. For my colours I used a blue and red polish that have a bit of glitter in them to make them extra sparkly and a bit more girly (you can't really see the glitter in the photo but it gives a good sparkle effect in natural light) 

How to get this look: Start by applying a clear base coat and then 2 coats of a dark blue polish. Using white polish and a thin brush and such as the striper brush in a duo nail art pen draw a straight line down the middle of the nail and then another line across the nail so you have a cross. Now draw 4 thinner lines going from the middle of your nail to each corner also in white. Next, using red polish and a very thin brush or a nail art pen if your brush is too wide, draw a red cross on your nail inside the white cross you already have being careful to leave some white visible at either side of the red line. Repeat the same for the four remaining lines drawing a red line from the corner of your nails towards the middle but don't join them up in the centre leave a small gap of white. Let your nails dry for a few minutes and then apply a top coat.

Pokemon Nails (Sandshrew and Sandslash)

This is my second post for Pokemon themed nails and probably not the last! There are so many different Pokemon characters to choose from so you can go crazy when designing for this theme. For my design I chose two of my favourite pokemon Sandshrew and Sandslash. I decided to write the PokeDex information on the nails next to my Pokemon drawings as I spent a lot of time and detail working on the faces. 

How to get this look: apply a base coat and then your base colour. I used OPI's Alpine Snow, I think white is the best base colour for this design so the lettering and Pokemon colours stand out. For the Pokemon and Pokeball I worked from the inside out - so start with your yellow/red base and add the other face detailing and then come back and do the black outline last. For the lettering you will need a good nail art pen. I used a Models Own nail art pen, this is my favourite black nail art pen to use as you can achieve fairly fine lines compared to some cheaper nail pens I have which draw very thick lines which wouldn't be suitable for small lettering and details. When complete, let your nails dry for a few minutes and then apply a top coat.

Hearthstone Nails

I recently started playing the game Hearthstone and I love it! For those who aren't familiar it is a card game on PC and now also on iPad. My favourite class to play as is Mage so I chose this as the theme for my hearthstone nails by painting the Mage character Jaina Proudmoore and the card Arcane Missiles.

To get this look: As always apply a base coat and then 2 coats of your coloured base polish. For the design on these nails I used nail art pens in various different colours. When drawing a complex design such as the Mage character start with the base colours like the skin colour and then add the clothing around this and leave the hair and face detailing until last. When layering lots of different colours like this wait a few minutes before starting with your next colour so you're not drawing over wet polish. While you are waiting for it to dry you can work on your other nails. Once complete apply a top coat to make your polish shiny and chip resistant.

Blossom Nails

I painted these nails in the spring after watching the blossom petals fall from the trees, this is the prettiest time of year! The base colour I used for these nails is OPI's 'Can't Find My Czechbook' a nice green/blue colour.

To get this look: Apply a base coat and then two coats of your chosen coloured polish. Using a nail art pen carefully draw fine black lines in the shape of blossom tree branches. Looking at some blossom tree pictures will help to get the style of branches right. Using a nail art pen or dotting tool draw 5 small dots to create a flower shape, draw a few flowers attached to the branches on each nail. Using a different colour draw a dot in the centre of each flower. Allow your nails to dry for a few minutes and then apply a top coat.

Pokemon Nails

Who doesn't love Pokemon? I painted this design on my friends nails with a different Pokemon on each nail and a pokeball design for the thumb. The base colour I used was OPI 'bubble bath' which is a natural looking pink colour, I chose this so the Pokemon colours would stand out better. I think a white or other pale colour would also work well with this design if you want something slightly bolder for the base.

How to get this look: Apply a base coat and your base colour to each nail. Choose your favourite Pokemon and have a photo of them ready to look at. Paint the colour of each pokemons face on the tip of each nail with a fine brush or nail art pen making sure the head shape and ears are accurate to the Pokemon you have chosen. To draw the detailing on the faces you will need a nail art pen and maybe a dotting tool for the eyes and other small details. If you don't have a dotting tool I find using a cocktail stick works well if you need a very fine dot or line as sometimes it is hard to achieve a very thin line with a nail art pen. Allow your nails to dry for a few minutes before applying your top cost to avoid smudging your detailing. 

Converse Nails

I love shoes...especially Converse! These are my Converse inspired nails with a shoe on each nail and the logo on my thumb. The trainers are a fairly simple design to try and will also look good on shorter nails.

To get this look:  Start by applying a base coat and then paint your nails with a colour of your choice. Paint white on the tip of each nail with a brush just like a french manicure. Draw six white dots on the coloured part of the nail and then draw lines to join them up in the style of shoe laces. Use a black nail art pen to draw a semi-circle on the white tip and a small dot inside each white dot for detailing. Finally apply a top coat to make your Converse nails look super shiny and protect them from chipping.

Welcome

This is a blog I am starting to share my nail art designs. All of my designs are drawn by hand using nail art pens. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @KathleenEmilyy